Why the Egyptians were Concerned about Farting

Making students laugh during a lesson is integral to my methodology as a teacher.  Humour may not be the natural ingredient for others but it works on several levels.  The title of this Blog refers to a theme in one of the History of Medicine lessons taught in the S3 History class.  Students were learning the several ideas the ancient Egyptians had regarding the functions of the human body.  The lesson required 'Personal Selective Note-taking' or 'Taking your own notes'.  Humour becomes a very useful mnemonic tool when gathering facts  There is a physiological process at play when students and teachers engage in a bit of a laugh.  Dopamine is produced which acts as a natural de-stressing agent.  I wonder why any educator would not want to have this affect upon students.  It really works, and the proof is in pedagogical and scientific articles.

There have been several studies which propose the necessity of humour in teaching contexts.  They often refer to teacher driven approaches, however there are opportunities to bring the students into the joke also.  Young people say the strangest and funniest things.  They often say or do things which can be unintentional.  If the students are able to take it then use sarcasm to lighten the mood in the classroom.  There is always a caution in using this kind of humour.  Be careful that no-one becomes upset or embarrassed by its use and gauge the mood.  Off course there is a time to bring out the jokes  and under certain circumstances when the lesson material is more sensitive humour can be left to another time.